Vehicles traveling over land-based routes may experience losses in traction, such as wheel slip, travel over hazardous conditions (e.g., ice or moisture), travel over potholes, etc. These losses in traction may occur when adhesion between a surface of a route being traveled upon and one or more wheels of a vehicle temporarily or momentarily decreases, and the wheel slips relative to the route. The wheel may rotate at a faster speed during the loss in traction than prior to or subsequent to the loss in traction.
In response to detecting the loss in traction, some vehicles quickly reduce the tractive effort being generated by the vehicle to rotate the wheels. But, if the tractive effort being generated by the vehicle is not quickly reduced during or in response to detection of the loss in traction, the loss in traction may worsen and the propulsion of the vehicle may be significantly reduced. Moreover, slippage of the wheel on the route may damage the wheel and/or the route and cause an operator of the vehicle to lose control of the vehicle and slide off of the route.
The loss in traction may occur in locations along the route having foreign substances on the route, such as moisture, ice, oil, leaves, or other substances. But, it can be difficult to predict or determine which locations along the route where the loss in traction will or is likely to occur.